


The Passcode

by lantia4ever



Category: Marvel 616, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Fluff, HYDRA tries causing trouble, Humor, Iron Man is on bodyguard duty, M/M, Marvel 616 References, Mutual Pining, Prompt Fic, Secret Identity, Tumblr: imaginetonyandbucky
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-25
Updated: 2018-06-25
Packaged: 2019-05-28 12:28:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15049046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lantia4ever/pseuds/lantia4ever
Summary: The Avengers get a sinister intel that suggests HYDRA is about to make a move against their former assassin - The Winter Soldier. Fearing for his best friend's life, Captain America asks Tony Stark for help.After all, who else could watch over the Winter Soldier while the Avengers deal with HYDRA if not Tony Stark's personal bodyguard - the Iron Man.





	The Passcode

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Français available: [The Passcode](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15934250) by [Drarrystic](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drarrystic/pseuds/Drarrystic)



> _Written for the Anon prompt: Okay, so I’ve read a lot of wonderful bodyguard AUs with these two, but it is always Bucky as the bodyguard (understandably). Anyone up for trying the reverse, Tony as Bucky’s bodyguard somehow? Maybe it’s an AU where Iron Man’s identity isn’t known, and when Bucky for some reason or another (maybe he isn’t even the WS, maybe he’s just suddenly famous and/or in danger) needs a bodyguard, Tony sends his own personal one - the Iron Man._
> 
>  
> 
> Hi everyone! ^^ Here's a little WinterIron prompt fill that I absolutely enjoyed writing <3 I realized I've never written a 616-kinda fic or at least secret identities one, so I've jumped at the opportunity :) 
> 
> Enjoy and let me know what you think! ^^

“You want me to…what?” Tony stares at the Captain like he grew three extra heads.

“It would be temporary, just until we locate the HYDRA strain and deal with it,” Cap raises a placating hand and initiates the puppy dog eyes he refuses to admit he has.

Not even half a year after Bucky Barnes - the Winter Soldier joined the fold, HYDRA is already scheming to get their former assassin back. So Cap may stand here and sound all casual but Tony’s not fooled.

He’s anxious and worried and wants to wipe HYDRA off Barnes’s back as soon as possible…because God forbid they would succeed and get their slimy tentacles back on the man.

“But if Iron Man is otherwise engaged - ”

“No! I mean…I’ll have to double-check with him but I’m sure he’ll make some space in his busy schedule after I lay down the situation to him.”

It’s times like these Tony wished everybody would know _he_ is Iron Man. Or at least the Avengers. As it is, Cap’s sweating it over here thinking Tony will refuse to let Iron Man bodyguard his bestest friend until HYDRA’s dealt with because Tony and _Barnes_ aren’t exactly friends.

That’s where the split personality sets in. Iron Man and Bucky _are_ friends. They hang out after missions all the time. No way Iron Man wouldn’t lend a helping hand to his metal bro and aside from Cap, Iron Man is the only one Bucky would voluntarily spend time with.

Tony is…well, he’s just the eccentric engineer that has a giant hidden crush on the former HYDRA assassin and occasionally fixes up his metal hand so Cap really has no reason to believe he’d go out of his way to help Barnes beyond that.

These secret identity shenanigans are giving him a headache.

“But if you need him - ”

“Cap! It’s fine. I’ve got no big plans ahead other than working on the new version of the armor and I don’t need Iron Man to cover my ass while doing that. In fact, I don’t want him anywhere near the lab…the guy’s a menace around tech,” he laughs, a little too high-pitched for his own liking but Capsicle pays it little attention.

“I’ll owe you one, Tony. A big one,” he smiles at him, squeezing his shoulder gently.

“Hey now, anything for friends. Besides, Iron Man is going to do all the work so take it up with him,” Tony shrugs.

“I will. Thank you, Tony.”

Another mission, another week of pretense to get ready for. Just his luck.

 

  

“I told Stevie I don’t need no bodyguard,” Bucky rolls his eyes, but greets him – the Iron Man – with a smile the next day on the common floor.

“He didn’t want to lock you up…which was the only other option. And it’s not like I mind. Any HYDRA that dares slither near us I’ll happily blast away to dust.”

He chuckles, flipping a gun into his thigh holster. “You and I both, man. Stark okay with this?”

Is he okay with this? Nope. He needs Bucky to stop calling him _Stark_. And more importantly, he needs to stop these…these… _feelings_. “Pffft, sure. Why wouldn’t he be?”

“Dunno. I don’t think he likes me very much.”

Is this guy for real?! Tony’s been positively giving him the bedroom eyes for months!

Behind his back. Secretly and cowardly. God dammit.

“If he didn’t like you, I wouldn’t be here,” he points at himself, the entire sentence entangling his brain with its ridiculousness. There’s only so many more times he can refer to himself in third person while pretending to not be himself before he goes certifiably insane. “Even if he didn’t like you, I doubt he would hate you enough to let HYDRA just have a go at you. The man hates HYDRA with a passion.”

Bucky hums, not looking very persuaded. “Anyway, we’ve got a hella lot of time on our hands…I’m thinkin’ we make the most of it. Any ideas?” he grins.

A wide range of variously dirty ideas, yes. “No video games. Thor is destroying enough controllers for all of us, I don’t need Tony on my back because of that too.” Not to mention Bucky is _way_ too good at Mortal Combat.

“Movie?”

“The last time I checked, you like Star Wars. I don’t want to be seen watching that anywhere in this time, space and dimension.”

“A TV show then.”

“If you say Star Trek, I will puke all over the inside of this armor.”

“Widow recommended somethin’ new to me a while back…what was it…a Game of Dragons?”

Tony laughs, moving on to the sofa. Leave it to Widow to have some proper cinematic sense…and sense of humor. How many times do they say ‘Winter is coming’ in there again? “Game of _Thrones_. Sure. I’m up to re-watch that. JARVIS?”

“ _I shall queue up the first season for you then_.”

They sit down, lifting their feet on the coffee table – since Cap is nowhere around to scold them about it – and JARVIS rolls the intro.

“ _Winter is coming_? Seriously?” Bucky laughs at the title of the first episode, but enjoys watching the rest of it anyway.

 

They spend the next few days in the Tower – watching TV, sparring in the gym, having lazy conversations over ice coffee. With majority of the Avengers deployed to deal with the HYDRA problem, they’re mostly left alone.

Spiderman hangs out with them one afternoon after school – that he still stubbornly denies to still be attending, Wolverine goes for a couple rounds with Bucky in the gym and Deadpool drops on them out of nowhere after they’ve had a couple of drinks and were failing at karaoke - singing Careless whisper with them… _twice_.

Cap keeps them updated on the mission and by the looks of it they’re hot on HYDRA’s tail. Tony’s both relieved and…disappointed. Cap’s efficient work means there will no longer be a threat to Bucky’s wellbeing – that they know of – and so there will be no need for Iron Man’s services anymore. Which is _good_. Bucky safe and sound is _good_.

Tony will have to find another excuse to keep the man company – preferably one that doesn’t include imminent threat of kidnapping or death.

So much for him being the cocky flyboy flirting with everything that moves…when it comes to Bucky, he’s completely useless.

It’s easy to quip with him in the armor. Bucky likes Iron Man. _Tony_ on the other hand…just the idea of striking up a friendly conversation with him as Tony is…scary. He never did good with rejection after all. And it would be the worst…to be accepted as Iron Man, rejected as Tony. As if he’s two people instead of one.

It’s all over on day six.

“ _We got them, Iron Man! We secured the base, got all the evidence we need and when Widow’s done with the agents, we’ll have even more_.”

“That’s…great news! Well, take your time, Cap. We’ll be waiting for ya right here,” he tells him, hanging up on the call after Cap gives him an ETA of their return.

In few hours, the HYDRA scum are going to be stuffed in prison and the Avengers will return victorious. They’ll celebrate, Iron Man will make some likely excuse to why Tony wouldn’t be attending – not that he expects to be invited – and by tomorrow morning, Tony will be locking himself up in the lab for a week, moping like a lovesick teenager.

When did he get this pathetic?

Before his brain can conjure up some disturbing reply, Bucky appears in his line of sight, beer in hand. “Everythin’ alright?”

“Uh…yeah. Everything is…perfect. Cap and the team found the HYDRA base and are in the middle of raiding it as we speak,” he tries going for a happy tone, failing quite miserably. The helmet does have its uses at times like these. His face would betray way too much right now.

“Oh,” Bucky frowns, which is definitely not the reaction Tony is expecting. “I mean, yeah, that’s…good. So. How about we start the celebration of mission well done a lil’ early?”

“Sure…looks like you already started,” he points at the beer.

“Heh. Anyway…we could invite Stark up here. Did he even leave the lab for one second in these past few days? Or is he back to working himself into oblivion on some fancy new tech stuff?”

“Yep, you said it. There’s no bringing him out of the lab when he’s working on an exciting project. What do you say, JARVIS? Think Tony might be up for a party?”

Poor JARVIS had to get used to this hidden identity bullshit as well. He finds it _amusing_ most of all. That little…

“Uhm…JARVIS?” Bucky frowns at the lack of a reply from the AI and unbeknownst to him, so does Tony.

“JARVIS! Report,” he demands but the comms remain ominously quiet.

“That ain’t good,” Bucky whips up a knife out of nowhere, grabbing onto his forearm and trying to push him out of the open.

Tony doesn’t budge. He has the perfect view of the hallway leading to the emergency stairwell exits and that’s why he sees it coming. _It_ being three different grenades flying their way. Without JARVIS to do some quick thinking for him, he pushes Bucky as far away from the expected impact as he can, shielding him with the entirety of his body.

A flashbang goes off first, followed quickly by two explosions. What are they trying to do?! Get the Winter Soldier back in pieces?!

He stands up, repulsors at the ready while Bucky scrambles behind the sofa for cover – and the gun conveniently hidden underneath it. They shower the hallway in gun and repulsor fire, keeping the intruders at bay.

Just as Tony makes his way towards the stairwell to introduce them to Iron Man’s fists up close, a deafening explosion rings throughout the room, shattering all the windows and sending him flying against a wall.

A wave of HYDRA agents flood the room from both the stairwell and the outside – likely coming down from the roof and before Tony can get back on his feet and blast them all to hell, they’re surrounded and most – if not all – of their weapons pointed at Bucky.

 _Those bastards came prepared_ , he curses, his brain already going through possible ways out of their predicament.

“Better stand down, trash can. Or your buddy’s toast,” one of the agents steps up to him, hands in his pockets – must be the wannabe leader.

“Better toast than back with HYDRA,” Bucky spits, his gun sill pointed at the closest agent in front of him.

Tony would prefer neither option. But there’s too many of them. Even if he targets them all, chances are one of them gets a lucky shot…and that’s all it takes. He lowers the repulsors – they are not his only weapon after all and this way he might get some more time. Maybe…hopefully…

Bucky growls, definitely not approving of the gesture. “Just shoot ‘em all, Iron Man!”

“Good move,” the leader snickers, taking another step toward him. “Now…you’re going to tell me the passcode to Tony Stark’s lab.”

“What?!” Bucky blurts out, the gun flying sideways to aim at the leader.

“What?” Tony frowns, confused more than anything else.

“You think we bothered with all of this just for you?” the man glances at Bucky. “Nah…now that we’re here, we’ll be leaving with everything we can get. So,” he turns back to him. “Surely Stark’s very own bodyguard knows the code to get into the lab. Turns out just disabling the AI isn’t enough to get in there.”

Despite the situation, Tony finds himself grinning from ear to ear. “What do you want with Stark?” he asks, trying to hide his mirth.

“Oh this and that. Now, trash bucket. The code or we’re shooting this one through and through.”

He would usually point out how ridiculous that threat is – if they were to do that, he would just shoot them all and they’d get nothing. But Tony would lose…everything. So he keeps his mouth shut and instead focuses on the tiny plan already taking shape in his head.

“That’s a little greedy of you, isn’t it? Tell you what…I’ll give you the passcode,” he offers, ignoring the pair of widened eyes that pierce through him. “Take Stark, do whatever the hell you want with him…but you’ll leave Barnes here.”

“Hell no,” the former assassin growls some more, this time deep and threatening.

The leader smirks. “Done.”

“No! You can’t do that!” Bucky yells at him.

“I can and I will,” Tony shrugs, noting the sting of betrayal in Bucky’s voice. “How do I know you’ll honor your end of this bargain?”

“If we get Stark, what’s the point of having this…broken thing,” the man sneers at Bucky. “He’s obsolete. And we’re looking for a new model, if you know what I mean. Stark can provide us with that and more.”

“Fair enough.”

“What are you…you’re supposed to protect him!”

“Yeah…I’m tired of doing everything he tells me, what am I, his slave? Stark’s a jerk and a damn handful…chances are, _you’re_ not even gonna want him once you find that out for yourself,” he tells the leader, ignoring Bucky altogether.

“You owe him…everything! He made you!”

 _Oh Buckaroo, you have no idea_. “Exactly. And I don’t need him anymore,” he gives Bucky a look, the neutral face of the helmet betraying nothing.

The amount of hurt and disbelieve on his face is painful to see…and at the same time _interesting_. It would almost seem like he _cares_. About Tony. Which is unexpected, but plays right into his hands.

“We have a deal then, Iron Man,” the leader finally addresses him properly and they shake hands.

“The code is 12161991,” he tells him, barely containing his grin.

The leader nods at his lackeys. “You and your team stay here – just as a precaution of course. Once we have Stark, we’re out of here before the Avengers get back.”

Just as Tony predicted, most of the agents move along with the leader, which leaves only seven agents guarding them. And seven is much better than twenty. He can work with seven. _They_ can.

Despite the raging schizophrenia he’s beginning to sport because of their hidden identities, they are good for something after all. Everybody knows Tony Stark is the genius – and Iron Man is just a guy in a can. If they knew Tony Stark is in fact inside the armor, nobody would ever be so easily fooled by him into anything, under no circumstances. This way, he is being underestimated from the get go.

Perfect.

“How _could_ you!” the now quite furious supersoldier growls at him, the gun actually _pointed at him_. “I thought…I thought…,” he trails off, his steely gaze never wavering though. “If anything happens to him, I’ll never forgive you!”

Tony reels back, falling out of character for a second before JARVIS’s voice brings him back to the mission at hand.

“ _Emergency reboot complete, Sir. I have regained control over the armor’s systems but I’m afraid my systems in the Tower are still not fully functional_.”

“Never mind that, just target these assholes and let’s get this over with, J!” he commands only for JARVIS to hear.

The targeting initiates, locking onto all but one of the agents – the one positioned behind Bucky.

Tony tries maneuvering to the side a little but the still furious assassin moves with him. Looks like he has no other choice.

“Nothing will happen to him,” he says carefully, eyeing the agents for suspicious reactions.

“Do you have any idea what they’re gonna do to him?!”

“Bucky…”

“This is HYDRA! Not some wannabe villains of the week!”

“Snowflake?”

“If they get away with h - ” he pauses, blinking at him. A small frown caresses his forehead as he stares at Tony.

“You must be a real _special_ kinda _snowflake_ to jam a screwdriver up your arm thinking you could fix it,” Tony says, echoing the first sentence he’s ever told the assassin.

Not Iron Man. _Tony_.

Bucky cocks his head to the side, eyes narrowed before they widen with realization.

“Sorry, you were probably about to shoot me. So why don’t you _get down_ to it?” Tony adds and it only takes a second for the assassin to register the command and drop to the floor, leaving the last agent exposed to the armor’s gunfire.

It happens fast from there on. The agents have just enough time to look surprised before JARVIS deploys the shots against the locked on targets and a moment later, they are mere corpses on the ground.

“ _Targets neutralized_ ,” JARVIS confirms.

“Thanks, J. You’re the best. Let me know when you’re a hundred percent back online.”

“ _Will do, Sir_.”

Bucky gathers himself up from the floor, glancing around at the carnage before his gaze rests on Tony. Before either of them can speak up, the steady hum of the quinjet sounds from the outside and the room is suddenly full of very concerned-looking Avengers.

“Is everyone okay?!” Cap approaches them, glaring at the corpses. “We got here as fast as we could after Widow got the intel on their plan B.”

Right…back to Iron Man mode.

“Was this supposed to be it?” he waves at the dead agents. “So much for plan B, I’d say.”

“There should be more of them,” Widow warns them, still in full alert.

“Yeah, they’re in Stark’s lab,” he shrugs.

“What?!” Cap blurts out. “How did they get there?”

Tony sighs, raising his hands defensively. “Just relax, okay? They got a bit greedy and wanted Stark as well as the Winter Soldier…so I gave them the passcode to the lab that lets them in but also triggers a trap, locking them in there.”

“ _With Tony_?!”

What’s with the supersoldiers today?! “He flew to London this morning. Some emergency SI business or something.”

Cap breathes out, nodding. “Good. Let’s go take care of the rest of them then.”

“Lead the way, Captain,” he prompts him and they all head down to the lab, subduing the now very salty wannabe leader and his minions.

* * *

For a week, Tony successfully evades the former HYDRA soldier. He even stoops as low as having JARVIS make sure the coast is clear whenever he emerges from the lab to go to the kitchen for snacks and coffee. It’s not like he _wants_ to avoid him. But there are certain conversations he is so not ready to have, no matter how helpful they would be in the long run.

In fact, there’s not much to converse about anyway. Bucky knows.

There’s no way he doesn’t know, unless he has a brain the size of a peanut. Like Hawkeye. Nope. Bucky _knows_. So Tony sticks to his ninja play and spends his days sulking in the lab.

Maybe he should go on a vacation as well. If Iron Man can go on a vacation, why can’t he? He _is_ Iron Man!

And if that isn’t the source of all his problems ever, he doesn’t know what is.

When he returns to the lab one evening with a Hulk-sized mug of coffee in hand, he almost spills it all over the workbench when he spots a certain soldier lurking in the shadows in front of him.

“The fuck - ” he places a palm over the arc reactor, the frantic beating of his heart drumming through the reactor’s calming hum. “Where did _you_ come from?!” The lab can’t be accessed any other way than through the doors and with the correct passcode. Not unless someone dares to wiggle through the vents – now impassably rigged with tripwires and explosives, since a certain purple-clad superhero decided to use them instead of hallways.

Bucky emerges from the darkness with one of his rare huge smirks and nods at the entrance. “The door?”

“You don’t have the passcode!” he glares at him.

“I have _a_ passcode. 12161991?”

Son of a bitch. That’s…resourceful. “Why would you wanna lock yourself in here, you weirdo?”

“Because _you’re_ here,” he shrugs, the smirk turning toothy.

“O…kay?”

“Thought it’s the perfect opportunity…with Iron Man on that vacation of his. He better send me a postcard or somethin’.”

He stares at Bucky like he’s just grown a second head, which only makes him smirk harder.

“Better be a good fucking postcard. In the meantime, I’m thinkin’ dinner. You, me, burgers…milkshakes?”

“Wh – what?!” he blurts out, shaking his head as if trying to wake up from this Twilight zone he fell into.

Bucky sighs, the smirk easing into a soft smile never before seen on his face. “You really think I jammed a screwdriver into my arm because I was trying to repair it? Who do you think I am, Hawkeye?! And what was the excuse after this one? That I tried stopping elevator doors with the arm and that’s why it looked like it’s been almost split in half with a vibranium shield? It was the shield…and it didn’t just slip from my hand either, I slammed it down real damn hard. The doombots didn’t even touch the arm the week after that, I actually stuck that bot claw into it myself and then the excuses to come down here to hang out with you got even more ridiculous.”

“You… _what_?!”

“I like you, you jerk,” he rolls his eyes, folding his hands over his chest, metal intertwined with flesh. “How much more obvious do I gotta get?! So when you just…ignored me, hell even flirted with everyone but me I figured there’s no chance. Guy can take a hint, you know?” he shrugs, the smile turning sad for a moment. “That said…I _really can take a hint_.”

Tony forces his brain to finally start working again and quickly absorbs everything the man has just said.

He _knows_.

And instead of interrogating him about it or demanding explanations he’s…he’s…using the newfound information to apparently _continue_ flirting with Tony and actually asking him out. On a dinner date.

 _Tony_. Not Iron Man.  

Well, technically both, because he knows… _he knows_.

Tony emits a startled chuckle, lips twitching into a grin. “Uhm…I uh…guess I can be an idiot sometimes? Like, one out of a million times. Which isn’t really that often. Of course it isn’t, because I’m a genius after all. We do get to be stupid every now and then. Every ten years maybe, or twe - ”

“Tony?” Bucky interrupts his ramble, still with that stupidly perfect smile directed at him.

He could listen to the man saying his name like that all day. Or forever.

“Yeah?”

“What about that dinner?”

“Wh…dude. That rant a second ago? That was me saying hell yes I wanna go to a dinner with you…how obvious do I gotta get?!” he laughs, becoming unusually shy under the intense look Bucky’s inspecting him with.

“Hella obvious,” he winks and slips past Tony, lingering close to him on the way towards the doors, shoulders only just touching.

Metal and flesh.

“I’ll pick ye up in an hour,” Bucky looks back before JARVIS lets him out of the lab, leaving Tony absentmindedly nodding, staring at the door.

Maybe he was wrong. Maybe being _just Tony_ beats being Iron Man. And maybe being both…and being seen as both isn’t as climactic as he thought it would be or have to be.

Because Bucky likes him – in and out of the can. And for tonight, that’s all that matters.

**Author's Note:**

> [Imagine Tony and Bucky tumblr](http://imaginetonyandbucky.tumblr.com/) \- the holy shrine of all that is WinterIron  
> [My tumblr thingie...](http://lantia.tumblr.com)


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